Amanda Devlin

A violent police response to an illegal rave has been caught on secret camera – showing officers forcibly push and kick a young girl while a boy is booted on the ground.

Dozens of officers armed with batons and riot shields used “intimidation and aggression” to control the rave in Emberton on Saturday, claim teenagers.

A still from the video which shows a boy being kicked on the ground by an officer.

Stills taken from the video show two seemingly unprovoked attacks. The full footage can be viewed in the video above.

We passed the video on to the city’s acting police chief Jim O’Ryan who defended his officers’ actions as “proportional”.

Witness Charlie Taverner was among hundreds of ravers who had travelled from all over the country to the remote Petsoe Manor Farm. He said: “I watched officers who are supposed to protect and serve do nothing more than bully and intimidate anyone and everyone in their path.

“Seven fully armed officers in riot gear stormed into the party with four dogs, marched straight over to the turntables and smashed DJ equipment –kicking and pushing people who where standing still with no warning at all. They came in with no respect, no compassion and no human decency.

“I’m not saying nothing was thrown as I will not lie, but people threw things after the police attacked.

“Countless people were sprayed with CS gas, smashed with batons and shields, for what? A dance in the moonlight.”

Stacey Freeman, 17, said: “I just sat on the ground but was hit with a shield. I was then pushed and my arm was bitten by a police dog. It was really frightening. My arm was treated at the scene by a police medic and is all bruised.”

Chief Inspector O’Ryan said: “Police officers worked through the night to shut down the illegal gathering and used a proportional response in order to do so. There have been no complaints made against the officers involved.”

He said a “hail of missiles” were hurled at police when they arrived and two officers were taken to hospital with head injuries.

Six people were arrested and one man from Gloucester has been charged with criminal damage. Mr O’Ryan added: “Understandably the community is quite upset by the events of that night and police are now supporting them.